Now that the school itself was gone, the one factor that held all the School of Blue Jade disciples together was no more, and everyone began venturing on their own paths. The only reason Tian Qingfeng could sit here was due to his high cultivation, which meant that regardless of who would take over Mount Calming Sea, there would still be a use for him. Thus, why should he go out of his way to offend Shen Fenghua and risk jeopardizing his future?
Seeing how Tian Qingfeng didn't so much as utter a peep, Shen Fenghua laughed coldly, and placing his hands behind his back as he left, he said, "The two women who drew their blades, send them to my room later."
No one knew who he was talking to, nor did they know who would exact this command. Nonetheless, Hong Xiu and Hong Fu were both appalled and infuriated. No one dared to bully them like this when they were with Yan Beihong.
Even Qian'Er couldn't endure it any longer. She swept a cold gaze across the crowd and barked, "Sisters, please don't fret. I sure would like to see who dares to touch you!"
She and Xue'Er still had a godfather behind them. Right now they needed to wait for Miao Yi to return, and Yao Ruoxian couldn't interfere with matters concerning the administration lest he be exposed, forcing them to flee from Mount Calming Sea. Otherwise, they wouldn't need to fear Shen Fenghua at all. However, now that Shen Fenghua was already acting shameless to this extent, the two of them could tolerate him no longer.
Seeing how hostile the situation was turning, Zhou Huan and the others were at a loss. If they couldn't send these two red-dressed women to Shen Fenghua's room, they would risk offending him. However, if they were to really do such a thing, they would surely be ridiculed, above all else. After all, Qian'Er and Xue'Er were still the interim Mountain Chieftains.
Shen Fenghua halted as he heard Qian'Er's response. Abruptly turning around, he swept a gaze across Qian'Er and Xue'Er and scoffed, "Fine! I'll let you two act smug for now. I'll have you know that the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade is almost over, and the appointment of a new Mountain Chieftain is nigh. With this deacon pulling the strings, the new Mountain Chieftain will surely be among the three of them! Regardless of which one is appointed as the new Mountain Chieftain, they have all already promised to gift the two of you to this deacon to sleep with. When that happens, I'll rip your clothes apart piece by piece! Let's see how smug you can be then!"
Actually, the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade was already over. Shen Fenghua no longer had any need to conceal his intentions. He clearly wasn't going to let the two ladies off.
Qian'Er, Xue'Er, Yan Xiu, Hong Xiu, and Hong Fu all immediately looked towards Zhou Huan and the others. Seeing how the three of them were keeping quiet, it became evident to them that what Shen Fenghua said was true.
Qian'Er and Xue'Er were both embarrassed and enraged. They never thought that these people would have already used them as bargaining chips in such unscrupulous dealings behind their backs.
Xue'Er pointed towards Liu Qian and shouted, "Liu Qian, you're a woman as well! Is this true?!"
Liu Qian was a little embarrassed to speak. However, this was a crucial time for the three of them to see which among them would obtain the Mountain Chieftain's seat, and she needed Shen Fenghua's help to achieve this. Thus, when she saw Shen Fenghua narrowing his eyes at her, Liu Qian grit her teeth and blankly replied, "It's not like the two of you are someone's dual-cultivation partners anyway. You handmaidens are tasked to sleep with men to begin with. It's all the same regardless of who you sleep with!"
When she said this, Shen Fenghua broke into laughter, clapping as he praised, "Well said, Advisor Liu!"
Zhou Huan and the others laughed drily as well, with Liu Qian looking a little awkward. As a woman, saying such things was not something to be proud of.
Yan Xiu was utterly infuriated, pointing at the three of them as he barked, "Shameless! Liu Qian, you vile woman, you will surely pay for this. I'd like to see how the three of you will face the Mountain Chieftain once he returns!"
Liu Qian was a little furious from the shame. She scoffed, "Do you really think that Miao Yi will be able to come back alive?"
"Mountain Chieftain will definitely return!" Qian'Er replied resolutely.
Zhou Huan and the others laughed in disdain, while Shen Fenghua smiled and said, "No need to argue with these two. Just let them live in their fantasies for a couple more days. Where is that Su-something woman at? She's quite the attentive one in bed. I'll just continue to have her serve me tonight." He then left with a hearty guffaw.
Atrociously enough, Shen Fenghua resided in the Mountain Chieftain's quarters. Every time he came, he would not deign to sleep in the guest's courtyard and insisted on staying here. This was also in hopes that Qian'Er and Xue'Er would read the signs and be a little more proactive in approaching him. However, the two ladies never indulged him. Hence, every time he visited, the two ladies would be forced out of their own house and had to sleep in the side courtyard.
The feast thus ended sourly. As Yan Xiu, Qian'Er, Xue'Er, Hong Xiu, and Hong Fu left the Mountain Chieftain's quarters resentfully, they bumped into Su Yuhuan on their way out.
As for this survivor of the calamity that befell the School of Blue Jade, after being taken in by Miao Yi, she too was unable to escape the power struggle within Mount Calming Sea. All the School of Blue Jade disciples were out to save their own skins, and she too was no exception. However, her cultivation wasn't high, and she truly didn't have much to offer except her beauty. Thus, she took the initiative to dive into Shen Fenghua's embrace. Every time he came, she would surely offer herself up and do her utmost to serve him in bed.
Having just cleaned herself up, Su Yuhuan noticed the contemptuous gazes of Yan Xiu and the others. With an awkward expression, she lowered her head and bit her lip as she hurriedly rushed into the Mountain Chieftain's quarters.
"Shameless woman! To think Mountain Chieftain actually took her in out of kindness all those years ago!" Xue'Er grumbled.
The group left in hurried steps and Yan Xiu whispered, "Take heed. Do not forget Yan Xiu's warnings."
A trace of helplessness in their eyes, the two ladies bit their lips and nodded. Given the situation right now, they didn't have much of a choice. They had to make the necessary preparations in case Miao Yi didn't return.
Yan Xiu's plan was: in the event that Miao Yi is unable to return, the two ladies are to immediately bring Hong Xiu and Hong Fu to Yao Ruoxian and leave. Otherwise, it would be dangerous the moment Zhou Huan and the others decide to trap them, and if Yao Ruoxian were to be oblivious to their predicament. Qian'Er and Xue'Er had kept the situation in Mount Calming Sea from Yao Ruoxian all this while because they feared that he would act rashly and push things past the point of no return.
As for Yan Xiu, he would make his escape from Mount Calming Sea before Zhou Huan and the others could react to the situation. He would then look for Qin Weiwei in Mount Shaotai. This was the escape route that Miao Yi had planned for him before he left. As Yan Xiu still had an immortal record, he could not escape unless Qin Weiwei terminated it for him. He didn't think he would be able to carve out a future for himself by staying in the administration. After all, his abilities were limited. Although Qin Weiwei could look after him temporarily out of respect for Miao Yi, she couldn't shield him forever. If Miao Yi were unable to return, their relationship would inevitably weaken with time. And with the massive authority held by the three major sects in the two Manors, to avoid any unforeseeable mishap, Yan Xiu figured he might as well leave together with Yao Ruoxian.
The closer they were getting to the final moment, the greater the pressure on everyone's hearts. Faced with the current situation, Yan Xiu's heart was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness. He finally understood with deep clarity how great the difference was between Miao Yi and the rest of them. Wherever Miao Yi went, he would be able to hold firm to his ground. As for them, they were still unable to control the situation even when Miao Yi had paved the road ahead for them. No matter if it was strength or tactics, they were still no match for Miao Yi even if they stacked everything they had together. He thought back to how Miao Yi had trampled over the School of Blue Jade disciples when he'd just taken charge of East Arrival Cave, to later on when he took over Mount Calming Sea. He'd easily turned the tables on the forces of the three major sects and made their disciples dance to his tune, Yan Xiu couldn't help his astonishment at the immense gap between them!
The five of them eventually came to the side courtyard. The four ladies made their way to the back of the courtyard, while Yan Xiu stood watch at the front. The forces of Mount Calming Sea were no longer under their control. Thus, they had no choice but to stick together for extra protection, as they were simply too afraid to trust anyone else.
Yan Xiu had just hidden atop a big tree at the front of the courtyard when he suddenly heard a shriek coming from the back. Startled, he hastily brandished his chained axe and leaped from the canopy of the tree, jumping over the roof to land at the back of the courtyard. When he saw the four ladies excitedly hugging one another, and seeing as there were no signs of an intruder, Yan Xiu asked curiously, "What's the matter?"
Qian'Er pointed to the spirit eagle under the eaves, then hurriedly rushed over to Yan Xiu and handed him a jade archive. Her face flushed from excitement, she said, "News from the capital. Master is back. Master has returned from the Sea of Constellations!"
Xue'Er repeatedly nodded, her eyes glimmering as she said, "I just knew that a mere Sea of Constellations wouldn't be able to trouble Master and that he would definitely return!"
Yan Xiu hurriedly took the jade archive and examined it. He'd also known some time ago that Miao Yi had long since arranged for a spy in the capital city. Qian'Er and Xue'Er would frequently keep in touch with Lin Pingping from the capital city, and had the latter be on the lookout for any news concerning the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade. After all, if there were any news, the capital city would be the first to hear about it.
The news written in the jade archive was sent over directly by Lin Pingping. She had contacted Luo Ping from the Celestial Nation Chamber of Commerce and had him look up the name list of the Fifth Earthly Branch survivors from the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade. And not only was Miao Yi's name on that list, but he was also in tenth place! Now, he was already on his way back and should return to Mount Calming Sea in a couple months.
It was evident from the way the characters were written that Lin Pingping was quite beside herself with excitement. She had only found out that Miao Yi was sent to the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade after getting in touch with Qian'Er and Xue'Er. Miao Yi's safety concerned her future as well, so naturally, she would be worried. Now that she knew he was returning, she wasn't any less excited than everyone else here.
With trembling hands, Yan Xiu exclaimed, "Tenth place! Tenth place! My lord actually managed to get tenth place in the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade!"
As the representatives of the Six Sages had taken part in this particular Subjugation Crusade, only the placement numbers were announced, unlike the previous Subjugation Crusades where the number of Geotranscendence Bangles obtained by each participant was made public as well. This was simply because there was a risk that the Six Sages' reputation would be affected if they made this information public—the Subjugation Crusade this time around seemed more like the Six Sages wreaking havoc than an actual Subjugation Crusade.
With this, however, no one would know the exact weight behind Miao Yi's tenth place position.
Xue'Er said proudly, "With Master's strength, getting tenth place isn't something surprising at all!"
Qian'Er tilted her head to look outside the courtyard as she scoffed, "I sure would like to see how those people are going to cause trouble once Master returns!"
"When Master is back, I doubt they'll even have the guts to breathe!" Xue'Er felt excited just thinking about it. They all knew that Miao Yi was not a merciful character.
Having finally gotten news of Miao Yi's return, the gloom in everyone's hearts instantly vanished, as though they had just found the bedrock of their faith. They believed that all their problems would be solved once Miao Yi was back. Those people wouldn't be his opponents at all.
Yan Xiu repeatedly looked over the jade archive as he stroked his beard and shook his head. He simply found it hard to believe that with Miao Yi's cultivation, he not only survived the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade but managed to obtain tenth place as well. Yan Xiu was now thoroughly impressed by Miao Yi, realizing that there was almost nothing he couldn't do!
Amidst their excitement, the three of them soon noticed the downcast expressions on Hong Xiu and Hong Fu's faces. When Qian'Er saw this, she could guess what was going on in the ladies' heads. Evidently, they were still worried about their master, Yan Beihong. She then walked up and grabbed the two ladies' hands and consoled them, "Sisters, please don't worry. Since Master is able to return, he surely wouldn't have forgotten about Master Yan as well. The two of them might even be on their way back together."
Hong Xiu and Hong Fu forced a smile and nodded. They were aware of how forced Qian'Er's reasoning was, and that she was simply trying to comfort the two of them. There was no guarantee that their own Master would also be able to return just because Miao Yi had survived. The Sea of Constellations was incomparably vast. It was questionable whether the two of them had even bumped into each other at all.
Xue'Er and Yan Xiu soon realized the mood as well. They were simply too engrossed in their own celebration. The two of them then quickly walked up to comfort Hong Xiu and Hong Fu...